Floating oil screens



Feb. 26, 1957 MAYSILLES 2,782,934

FLOATING OIL SCREENS Filed Dec. 10, 1953 I IOA H65. H65. FIG].

INVENTOR. LYNN A. MAYSILLES ATTOR NEYS United States Patent FLOATING OIL SCREENS Lynn A. Maysilles, Wayne, Mich., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Industrial Wire Cloth Products Corporation, Wayne, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application December 10, 1953, Serial No. 397,334

1 Claim. (Cl. 210--170) The present invention relates to floating oil screens for installation in the crankcase of an internal combustion engine for the purpose of screening oil being drawn therefrom by the lubricating pump, the screen being arranged to float at the surface of the pool of oil with its intake just below the surface.

The purpose of such an arrangement is to avoid as much as possible the intake of solid particles settling to the bottom of the pool.

Since, however, it is impossible to avoid the intake of some of such particles, such screens gradually become clogged and refuse to pass oil necessary for engine lubrication. As a safety measure, the screen must be provided with a bypass adapted to be operative when clogging has reached the point of too little oil passage.

The present invention relates to such bypass structure and has among its objects to simplify and reduce the cost of production of such screens.

Other objects will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon reference to the following description and the accompanying drawings in which Fig. l is a view of the screen partly in elevation and partly in section on line 1--1 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a plan view looking at the bottom.

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the valve member.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the latter as mounted in the screen.

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are views similar to Fig. 3 but showing other forms of openings.

In the drawings, the screen assembly is indicated as consisting of a dome member 10 having a cylindrical side wall 10A with a shoulder 10B near the upper end of the side wall. Against the shoulder 10B is fixed the rim of a frustoeonical cup 11 enclosing sufficient volume to provide a float for the assembly, the side walls being slanted inwardly toward the bottom so that there is a considerable annular space between them and the wall 10A.

Fixed in the bottom edge of sidewall 10A is a disc of woven wire screen material 12 and the edge of a hollow cup 13, which latter has its central portion raised to contact the screen 12, both the screen and raised portion being provided with an opening indicated at 13A in Fig. 2. The outer wall of cup 13 is slanted outwardly and continuous for somewhat less than half its periphery, the remainder of the periphery being punched out to provide the large oil inlet openings 13B separated by a short portion of wall 13C.

It will be seen that the space between the member 11 and cup 13 is divided by the screen 12 into an inlet chamher and an outlet chamber.

The bottom member 11 of the float chamber is provided with a plurality of bumpedout spacers 11A serving to prevent the flat contact of the screen and the bottom of member 11.

2,782,934 Patented Feb. 26, 1957 lCC The parts so far described are preferably brazed or soldered together and in addition an outlet pipe 15 brazed or soldered into the wall 10A. The pipe 15 is conveniently curved from the member 10 to a straight portion 15A whose axis normal to a radius of the screen assembly. Further, it is preferred to support the pipe 15 by means of a plate 16 provided with a flanged opening 16A for the pipe and a foot portion 16B brazed or soldered to the wall of member 10. The plate 16 is also provided with stop fingers 16C and adapted to coact with a suitable stationary element (not shown) to limit the movement of the screen when in use.

After the above described parts have been assembled and brazed or soldered together, the opening 13A is closed by means of the valve member 20 which is shown in detail in Figs. 3 to 7. The member 20 consists of disc of suitable elastic and flexible plastic material not afiected deleteriously by oil, such as neoprene, having on one face a ring 20A with an overhanging flange, providing, in elfect,

a groove 20B in the edge of the disc. Centrally of the disc the material is cut through as indicated at 20C, the length of the cut being materially less than a diameter of the disc. The thickness of the disc material and its flexibility and elasticity will determine the oil pressure requiredto open the slit. This disc 20, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 4, is placed in the opening 13A with the groove 20B receiving the edges of the screen 12 and cup 13 surrounding the opening.

Instead of the single slit 20C, the disc may be cut as indicated at 20D, 20E or 20F, in order to permit a greater How of oil. In the case of a cut such as 20D, it is pre ferred also to make such cut so as to provide a bevelled edge on the tongue to permit the tongue to move more freely.

I claim:

In a floating oil screen for an internal combustion engine, a domed member having depending cylindrical walls, an inverted frusto conical cup member extending into and sealed in said domed member to thereby provide a float chamber and also an annular space open downwardly within the said depending walls, an outlet tube leading from said annular space, a disc-like screen fixed to said depending walls below said outlet tube to thereby enclose said annular space, said screen being provided with a central opening, and a valve closing said central opening and comprising :a disc portion of oil resistant flexible elastic material having a slit therethrough, said material being of such thickness as to allow opening of said slit only under a predetermined pressure.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 682 Peale Apr. 5, 1859 670,794 Lott Mar. 26, 1901 1,202,723 Jackson Oct. 24, 1916 1,480,420 Rowley Ian. 8, 1924 1,568,796 Breer Jan. 5, 1926 1,745,248 De Guenther Jan. 28, 1930 2,289,068 Pratt July 7, 1942 2,320,906 Bent June 1, 1943 2,360,020 Skinner et a1. Oct. 10, 1944 2,378,384 Baker June 19, 1945 2,448,212 Dewey Aug. 31, 1948 2,644,663 Klingler a- July 7, 1953 2,663,425 Haselwood Dec. 22, 1953 2,670,757 Delany Mar. 2, 1954 

